Cemetery High Tech

Cemeteries Going High-Tech

CRAWFORDSVILLE,
Ind. — Technology is making a visit to the cemetery a more pleasant
experience. Interactive tombstones are allowing families to learn more
about their deceased loved ones.

Randy
Allen’s family sees more than a headstone when they visit his
grandmother’s grave. An interactive tombstone offers his children a
glimpse into his great grandmother’s past.

Allen
owns Allen Monuments. The business recently became the only dealer in
Indiana authorized to sell high-tech gravestones. The idea is to combine
a physical and virtual memorial. It’s drawing interest from people all
over the country.

“We’ve gotten calls from California, and we’ve gotten calls from New Jersey, New York… pretty much all over the U.S,”Allen said.“You
can incorporate it on the front of the stone, the back, the sides,
pretty much anywhere you want to. Just so you have access to be able to
scan it.”

The
graves don’t look much different from a traditional marker expect for
the small QR code which is about an inch and a half square. All you need
is a smart phone to view the content. You can download a QR reader or
scanner app on your phone. Then you can scan the code on the gravestone
and it takes you to a link where you can access an interactive memorial
page. The pages include a biography, guest book and audio clips.

The high-tech gravestones now account for nearly half of the Allen's business.